Bola (Indonesia) confirmed the news that the president of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) - Mr. Eric Thohir is carrying out the necessary procedures to naturalize 3 more players. All three of these cases are Dutch players, currently playing football in the Netherlands and have Indonesian roots from their grandparents.

They are the defender duo Tim Geypens and Dion Markx, both born in 2005. The other is striker Ole Romeny, who is also considered the most prominent face among them. Ole Romeny is playing for FC Utrecht and has a grandmother of Indonesian descent.

Mr. Eric Thohir wants to strengthen both the Indonesian national team and the U20 team. Indonesian media quoted the PSSI president as saying: “The national team needs more strength from these players, my job is to strengthen the fans’ confidence. I thank Ole Romeny for believing in Indonesia’s World Cup dream. Besides, preparing for the future is also very important for Geypens and Dion.”

The Indonesian team will face Saudi Arabia in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Although Ole Romeny's naturalization process is being accelerated as quickly as possible, it is very difficult for this striker to play. The press of the archipelago revealed that FIFA has not officially recognized Ole as eligible to play for the Indonesian team, so they will have to wait.

Currently, the Indonesian team is at the bottom of Group C in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. After 5 matches, coach Shin Tae-yong and his team have only 3 points. The team nicknamed Garuda has not won any matches, scoring 4 goals and conceding 9 goals. Pressure from Indonesian fans is even putting the Korean captain at risk of being fired.

On November 19, Indonesia will face Saudi Arabia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. Vietnam head coach Kim Sang-sik will also be in Jakarta to watch the match.